Bottle stopper



J A. FRASER BOTTLE STOPPER Aug. 7, 1956 INVENTOR John/(den Fraser United StatesPatent BOTTLE STOPPER John Alden Fraser, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada Application May 11, 1953, Serial No. 354,027

3 Claims. (Cl. 2155Q) This invention relates to closures for bottles and other like containers, and has for its primary object the provision of a novel self-sealing cap for bottles of the type in which soda drinks are sold.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cap'for bottles of the type in which soda drinks are sold, which cap may be opened without the aid of any auxiliary implement.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a re-useable self-sealing cap for bottles and other containers, which cap may be opened without the aid of any auxiliary implement.

With these and other objects in view which may appear while the description proceeds the invention consists in the novel arrangement of cooperating parts shown in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view in elevation of one embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 2 is a partly diagrammatic sectional view in elevation showing this embodiment disposed in the throat of a bottle.

In the drawing, wherein like characters of reference denote the same parts throughout, the numeral generally denotes a more or less tubular and yieldable member which is adapted to serve as a closure for any suitable container, e. g.a bottle as at A. It may be of any suitable cross section and material, but, in the form shown, is made of a yieldable plastic, and consists of an outer cylinder-like portion 11 and an inner piston-like portion 12, which portions are joined at their lower extremities by a yieldable and flexible membrane 13 so that the said piston-like portion may move reciprocally within the cylinder-like outer portion 11.

The said cylinder-like portion is formed with a vertical exterior surface and in a diameter such that the said portion is a sliding fit in the throat of the container to be closed. It is provided, at its upper edge, with a radially outwardly extending flange 14 which rests on the lip of the container wherein the cylinder-like portion is inserted. It, further, is formed with a taper bore 15, of increasingly smaller diameter from bottom to top, the purpose of which will become more evident as the description proceeds.

The inner piston-like portion 12 essentially is a hollow tapered piston closed at its top, which piston is adapted to limitedly slide up and down in the taper bore 15 of the cylinder-like portion 11. As shown, its wall preferably is a more or less uniform section excepting at the region where it is joined membraneously to the said outer cylintier-like portion, and its diameter becomes progressively smaller from its bottom to its top.

In use, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the member 1%) is inserted into the throat of a container having an elongated neck, e. g., the bottle A, until the terminal flange 15 of the outer cylinder-like portion 11 rests on the lip of the container. It, of course, is necessary to push the piston-like portion 12 downwardly at the same time so as to allow the wall of the said cylinder-like portion to yield sufliciently to permit its insertion in the throat of the said container. The air within the container is somewhat compressed by the insertion of the member 10 and its pressure is raised thereby to a value greater than that of the outside atmosphere. This increase in internal pressure causes the piston-like portion 12 to move upwardly within the taper bore 15 of the cylinder-like portion 11 and to become wedged therein. This action, in turn, exerts an outwardly acting force on the wall of the said cylinder-like portion, expanding the wall, and thereby securely locking the member 10 within the throat of the container.

In bottles of the type in which soda drinks are sold, of course, the wedging action is magnified inasmuch as the contents of such bottles normally are subjected to a pressure considerably in excess of that of the surrounding atmosphere.

To open the container, it is merely necessary to push the piston-like portion 12 downwardly to remove the force acting outwardly on the wall of the cylinder-like portion 11. The member 10 then may be withdrawn from the container or will be expelled therefrom if the pressure therein is sufliciently greater than that of the surrounding atmosphere.

It is apparent that if the container should become inverted that the weight of its contents would force the piston-like portion 12 even more outwardly thereby further increasing the force acting outwardly on the wall of the cylinder-like portion and further locking the last said portion within the throat of the container. Further, since the member 10 is not permanently deformed either in use or when opened, it may be re-used as desired.

It is believed that the construction and advantages of the structure shown may be apparent from the foregoing paragraphs taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings without further detailed description.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed it is understood that minor changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of cooperating parts may be resorted to within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

I. In a device of the character described, a telescopic structure comprising a yieldable plastic outer cylindrical shell open at the top, a piston-like portion slidably disposed within said shell having a yieldable plastic wall for contact with the wall of said shell, and a flexible plastic membrane connecting the lower edge of said shell and the lower edge of the wall of said piston-like portion, said membrane being of less thickness than the walls of said shell and piston-like portion.

2. In a device of the character described, a telescopic structure comprising a yieldable plastic outer cylindrical shell having a tapered bore, a piston-like portion slidable in the bore of said shell having an outwardly flared wall for contact with the wall of said bore, and a flexible plastic membrane connecting the lower edge of said shell and the lower edge of the wall of said piston-like portion, said membrane being of less thickness than the walls of said shell and piston-like portion.

3. In a device of the character described, a telescopic structure comprising a yieldable plastic outer cylindrical shell having a tapered bore, a piston-like portion slidable in the bore of said shell having an outwardly flared yieldable plastic wall for contact with the wall of said bore, and a flexible plastic membrane connecting the lower edges of the walls of said shell and said piston-like portion, said membrane being of less thickness than the wall of said shell to form a shoulder with the lower end of 3 hibore of aid ahelladwpusd to be engaged by the portion 745,380 of the membrane adjacent .to .the wall of said piston-film 885,661 portion when the piston moves upwardly. 1,089,057 2,538,288

ml Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 732,481 Wiederseim June 30, 19U3 4 Perry Dec. 1, 1903 Barnes Apr. 21, 1908 Huisvcld et a1. Mar. 3, 1914 Whitsel Jan. 16, 1951 

